Fa Teaching at the New York Fa Conference on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Dafa’s Introduction to the Public

Li Hongzhi, May 14, 2017

(Master walks to the podium amid enthusiastic applause of ten thousand disciples.)

Greetings, everyone! You’ve been working hard! (All disciples: Greetings, Master!)

The Fa conference’s attendance is increasing every year. Today, wow, the venue is full. For Dafa disciples, your doing the three things well is just the biggest thing. You must first cultivate yourself well, only then can you fulfill your historic mission. Therefore, in the entire process of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa, you cannot neglect your own cultivation. So in cultivation you must be serious, and that is the most basic guarantee for you as a cultivator. If you do not cultivate, think about it, that is equal to ordinary people doing good deeds. Yet for a Dafa disciple, this opportunity and basis for you to be able to become a Dafa disciple today were being established in history. During history you have endured so much, and so you can become Dafa disciples today. Also, there is the issue of your life’s most fundamental origin being extraordinary. None of this is simple.

The human world is an illusion. Lost among ordinary people, no one can see the true situation. Human eyes see the world as a flat surface, while Gods’ eyes see the world multi-dimensionally, as they see the entire situation at each level of the world. Human eyes can only see the surface of this world, and people cannot even see their own entire bodies. I am not talking about internal organs; I am talking about the state and physical manifestation in other dimensions of layers upon layers of the particles that form your being—you can see none of these. You can see only your surface. That is to say, it’s a huge limitation. You cannot see the true situation, so for human beings, this becomes the greatest illusion. But then, only while in this illusion can we speak of cultivation. So in other dimensions, in other environments, we do not speak of cultivation, and there is no cultivation either. Gods, as you know, cannot cultivate. Why can't they cultivate? They can see everything—could that be called cultivation? That is not cultivation. Only when one cannot see is it called cultivation. In the illusion, and amid temptation from your various interests in this human world, if you can still walk on the path of Godhood following the standard of a cultivator, that is indeed remarkable.

In today’s social environment in particular, Dafa disciples have been enduring such enormous pressure. If you were to give up cultivation, the evil would let you lead a normal life; if you do not give up cultivation, you will have to endure persecution, and even more severe persecution. It is truly remarkable that you can come through, withstand all of this, and persist till this day. This is because in the beginning, when Gods decided on this matter, whoever dared to come to this human world, it would not be a simple matter. Those daring to come are remarkable, and even Gods consider these lives remarkable. These are brave ones who dare to validate the Fa, validate themselves, and blaze a new path to save sentient beings at the point where the old forces of the entire cosmos concentrate. This is also unprecedented, and this is just something that has never been seen since the creation of Heaven and Earth. In the past, following the law of formation, stability, degeneration, and disintegration, if the cosmos were to disintegrate, then so be it. Afterward it would be re-created. You all know that re-creation is very easy, so easy that you can't imagine or think how easy it is. When Gods want something to manifest, a thought will do, and things will appear in reality. Whatever they want, they will have it. What about the greater Gods? What about that ultimate Creator of the cosmos? He has all of the capabilities at all levels of the cosmos. His one thought will have effects at all levels, and will form a universe that includes all levels, encompassing all things, even including countless Gods. Just that one thought will form everything. You all know that Shakyamuni also spoke about this issue, that is, a God’s one thought created the world.

But the law of formation, stability, degeneration, and disintegration is the principle of the past cosmos. If the largest cosmos were to disintegrate in the process of formation, stability, degeneration, and disintegration, that would be too scary. Throughout the eons, those lives in the cosmos, including countless Gods—even the highest God—did not want to give up, and they all wanted to save themselves and save all lives. In this cosmos, over the eons, all beings have, in the course of their lives, accomplished many, many things that they all consider really precious, things they want to preserve. Many Gods therefore had this thought and wanted to save all beings. Yet, as I said before, every level has countless lives, and every level has countless Gods, as well as many Lords. Every domain in the universe has a Lord in charge, yet no Lords know if there are still universes above theirs, and they all believe they are the highest. So, many Lords and Kings had this thought of coming down to save all beings. But because they are Kings and Lords of a limited domain, they cannot do this thing. If they do this in a limited domain, that is not recognized. Therefore, this matter involves something tremendously large, so large that it is inconceivable.

Master is just talking to you from the Fa principles. Fa-rectification in the cosmos has come to this stage today, and it is truly reaching the end, and furthermore, it is already making the transition to the stage in which the Fa rectifies the human world. Thinking back on all this, then, it is truly not easy. What you see is the persecution in front of your eyes, and the irrational suppression of Dafa disciples, yet it was equally terrifying during the soul-shaking upheavals in history. As Dafa disciples, in this historical process, you have all laid a foundation throughout your repeated journeys fraught with hardships, so you have come to this stage today. Those of you sitting here, no matter who you are, you have all come to this day through a long historical journey, one lifetime after another. In every lifetime and every cycle, whether you are a Dafa disciple or an ordinary person, as long as you are to be saved in the future, you will have to reduce your karma, endure pain through the ages till this day, in pain and through upheavals. Whether you know it or not, as a life among this humankind, you have all come through this way. So when humankind was at peace, you felt pretty good; in painful tribulations and soul-shaking sufferings, you endured all kinds of hardships. This is what has manifested in this environment of human beings. As you came down to the lower levels of the universe, although the environment in the higher realms of the cosmos is not as hard as in this human world, and beings there are not as lost as human beings, still, coming down from higher to lower levels is very painful.

I just said Gods see the world multi-dimensionally. With one glance, they see your body, formed by layers upon layers of particles of your being, in its entirety. Your surface is formed by molecules—in fact your eyes cannot even see molecules, but only your cells made of molecules. Cells form your eyes, and you can only see at the level of cells. Even with cells, you have to see them through a microscope. Your eyes can only see the surface formed by cells—humankind is lost to such a degree. The layers upon layers of particles that form the human body exist in various dimensions, and that makes up your entire body and there are many of them. However many layers there are of particles that form the Three Realms, there are that many layers in the human body—there are just this many layers. In your human body there are so many layers that you cannot see. But Gods see it with just one glance. Gods see human beings’ entire bodies.

Some people are thinking about a phrase that we call “deep thinking and careful pondering.” In reality, when many people do something, a bright idea suddenly occurs and they just do it. They just thought about it and did it, and that thought did not go through deep thinking and careful pondering. They did not go through careful thinking, yet they did very well. Why? This is an issue many people are thinking about, and scientists are thinking about it as well. Such a mature idea just came out and was accomplished in an instant without careful deliberation, careful pondering, and a germination process. Why is that? They cannot explain it clearly. In fact, the human body is not this little bit on the surface, but in each and every layer there is your body, your thoughts, and your cells, and they are all part of your entire body. When you do something, you act on the surface, yet when you do something, your entire cells are moving and thinking, and at the same time this is happening not just in one dimension. The more microscopic a dimension is, the faster its time, and the greater its power. On this side you feel that you just think about it slightly, but on the other side, you have thought about it for so long that perhaps a few years have passed, since they are not in the same dimension.

Gods see issues multi-dimensionally and the overall situation, while human beings only see things on the surface. Sometimes, Dafa disciples are by my side; with your every thought and every idea, and your conduct, I do not look at your surface or your behavior at all. Instead I look at your true motives. I look at what your true thought is thinking and doing at its foundation. In this process, although what has manifested on the surface is your behavior, for which you need to be responsible, still, I just look at your foundation.

As Dafa disciples, it is the same in this persecution. In cultivation, it is human beings who are cultivating. Since human beings are cultivating, many, many human notions will manifest. When human notions manifest, they will very likely not conform to the Fa’s standard, isn’t that right? Then it is very likely that amid the persecution you will make mistakes when using human notions. Since it is cultivation, in cultivation you are of course allowed to make mistakes, since you cannot possibly do well in everything. But in the end, you should do well. Since you can make mistakes, you may possibly make big mistakes. I thought about this long ago, and knew about these issues long ago. You could possibly make a very big mistake. What I want to tell you is that you are a person cultivating, and you are walking on the path of Godhood. Making mistakes is not a big deal, but you should realize your mistakes, and you should do well what you should do before you complete your cultivation. Continuing to do well what you should do, this is cultivation. This is the same for some students, who are doing very poorly, as you see it, and they have even been involved in the evil’s persecution of other Dafa disciples. But I know that under the evil’s severe persecution, everyone’s cultivation state is different, and the human body’s endurance also has its limit. I have said, it is all human beings cultivating, not Gods cultivating. Since human beings are cultivating, they will have human thinking, and having human thinking, they will possibly make mistakes. Making mistakes may include making small mistakes or making huge mistakes. Therefore, I said that before this thing is completed, we should still give them opportunities, and if they want to cultivate, you should still treat them as fellow cultivators. This is cultivation after all, and I saw this a long time ago. Having everyone walk the path well and so righteously, that is also not possible. I knew this as well.

When I first spread the Fa, I made this statement. I said I have spread such a powerful Fa, something that has never happened since the creation of Heaven and Earth. Even if I could save just one person—if in the end one person could cultivate to completion—I would not have done this thing in vain. I had set the standard this low. But it seems that from the current situation, as I said when I first came in, that the number of people at the Fa conference is increasing every year, and the venue is now full. At a minimum, you are sitting here having come through the severe persecution and persisted till today. Of course, there are many Dafa disciples who could not come, as their conditions did not allow. I know there are still many Dafa disciples, there are still many. Cultivation is, after all, not a human affair; the foundation is laid at the root of your life. The persecution could only harm you on the surface; can it change your foundation? It cannot change your foundation. So the evil always wants people who cultivate to give up cultivation. With Dafa disciples who truly have missions, it can never succeed in persecuting them, and cannot make them give up cultivation, since that was established at the foundation of their lives, where persecution cannot reach. Persecution can only reach human beings’ surface. Of course, the surface of human beings is also very crucial, since a person’s actions determine this being’s destiny. But in the process, Gods will look at the fundamental motives in everything you do. That’s how it is.

As a human being, this is in fact fair. Why is it fair? Formation, stability, degeneration, and disintegration is the cosmic law, and each round of life will disintegrate once beings are no longer good. In the course of history, there have been more than just one or two civilizations that existed during various periods, isn’t that right? There have been many. And prehistoric civilizations surpassed modern civilization many times. History is just like a play with a script. Once one round of human civilization is over, the script will be revised; after revision, the script will be brought out and performed anew, till the script is finalized in the end. In some periods, there was highly advanced technology just like that of extraterrestrial beings, and once that history passed it was deemed not good, and the state of human beings like that was deemed not good; it was not in line with the standard for human beings to obtain the Fa in the end, and technology that advanced was not wanted. In some periods humankind appeared to be very undeveloped, and that would not work either. It’s not just about technology, it would not work if human beings’ conduct, thought, culture, or even their exterior forms did not conform to the requirements.

Today, I just spoke about the exterior form. The human exterior form during early human history and different periods would appear, in fact, very strange to the eyes of modern human beings, as it was very different from that of modern people. Many times, human races were eliminated when they were no longer good, and now in this last period, there are only five races left: the yellow race, the white race, the black race, the red race, and the brown race. The red race disappeared in recent times, perhaps due to the mixing of races. As humanity’s technology developed, barriers between different regions were broken down, leading to the disappearance of certain races. The purely authentic white race can no longer be found. As for the yellow race, the Chinese people are the most mixed. I know all about the true history of humankind, but since it involves issues in dispute among races, I will say no more about it. No matter what, all of humankind’s history is with me after all, and I know its entire process from the beginning to the end. As human history proceeded to this stage today, the Gods all felt that it was fitting to be used for the Fa-rectification in the end.

In fact, when humankind was in the 1950s and 1960s, people were still very simple and very kind at that time. The old forces saw that, in this state, it was too easy for people to obtain the Fa, and kind thoughts in society were too powerful, so they created many forms of modern consciousness and modern arts and theories, and every field was filled with modern, negative things, ultimately leading to negative elements occupying the entire world. Now we have just this environment. In ordinary situations people do not dare speak publicly about positive things and kind things, for fear of being criticized, laughed at, or discriminated against by others. Negative elements dominate everything entirely, and can be promoted in elegant venues and before a large audience. You all know about Shen Yun Performing Arts. Shen Yun displays the most positive elements of perfect compassion and perfect beauty, and true compassion and true beauty. In this world that has turned entirely negative, the sudden emergence of such a purely righteous performing arts group truly astounds people in the world. What Shen Yun expresses, however, brings blessings to all people, whether they are positive or negative. Shen Yun brings blessings to all people, so everyone says it is good. It is here, in the first place, to save people.

Under an entirely negative social form like this, you want to walk a path of Godhood, and you want to walk a righteous path—how difficult this is. I am deeply aware of this. Those students at the school that trains talent for Shen Yun, Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, have already done very well, as you know. But I am still very worried, since society’s arts nowadays have really affected them too much, and all things in society are attracting them. Ordinary society’s morality was brought down this way through the exertion of subtle influences. It would not say, “I am the demon, and I am determined to make humankind slide down.” It would not say that. It leads you through subtle influences, using all kinds of things that are not righteous; you cannot see through it. This manifests in the arts, in conduct, in various kinds of products, and in all those things that attract all sides of you. It pulls you down, pulling you down as it stimulates your addictions. Once negative elements occupy people’s consciousnesses and social forms, humankind will be very hard to save, because people’s rationality is being controlled by negative elements, and in doing things they themselves cannot tell clearly whether those are their own thoughts.

I have just said, human eyes can only see this surface, formed by cells at their surface; they themselves cannot see, nor do they know their layers upon layers of thoughts, layers upon layers of bodies, and layers upon layers of everything. Then at this surface level, this society that has already turned negative imparted modern notions with a strong, warped consciousness. The notions formed postnatally and the negative elements are not simple factors, as behind them there is the evil spirit, be it Satan or the evil spirit of the evil Communist Party, that is controlling the world. It is using those evil beings to control people. People today cannot tell clearly whether their actions and expressions are driven by their own thoughts or controlled by negative elements. On the surface your actions all look very natural, and you even feel the origin of your thoughts is also very natural. You cannot tell what is truly your own thought, and what is external elements controlling you, leading on your desires and attracting your various addictions, no matter what it is that you like. How hard it is to cultivate in this kind of environment. It is so difficult, truly very difficult! Even Christianity, Buddhism, and many other religions have all felt that with pressure from society, their believers’ positive elements are becoming fewer and fewer, and society is declining more and more. They all know it, but they have no solutions, since negative elements have indeed occupied the world.

If you want to walk back and return, then, Shen Yun has been walking on such a path. This path must be walked by cultivators, and these cultivators must have the basis for cultivation. So the process of training them is very hard, extraordinarily hard. The situation is the same in other environments. As Dafa disciples, including all Dafa disciples in the entire world, you are walking your own paths well, and saving sentient beings at the same time. But as for many Dafa disciples’ own family members and children, you have indulged them, failed to discipline them, or even felt helpless about them. This society just has such a strong attraction, and these negative elements are just so strong.

As cultivators you would know: In this world, who is still walking a righteous path? Who still dares to walk a righteous path? How hard that is. I just said that those who dared to come here among the humans are brave ones, and Gods look at it this way. If you dare to come to such a complicated environment, you are a brave one. If you can take part in Fa-rectification, join the ranks of saving beings, and even become a cultivator, in the eyes of Gods, you are already remarkable, truly remarkable! If you can do a little better in cultivation, think about it everyone, this bad environment itself will already make you stand out, as the environment is shaping people. Let alone Dafa disciples, anyone who can pick up a Dafa book to read, you already stand out, and those who can identify with it are already not ordinary people. If this environment were very good, people’s righteous thoughts were strong, and the world had nothing but positive elements, that little bit that you show would count for nothing, and anyone could do it; you would have to act exceedingly well to count as good, isn’t that right? It is because the evil environment makes you stand out, and in this respect, this indeed helps reduce the relative degree of difficulty somewhat in your cultivation. With regard to the requirements for you as a Dafa disciple, you should still do the best you can, and fulfill your historic mission; you must go save sentient beings. Let me tell everyone, this matter of saving sentient beings is critically important, and you must do it.

What is a Dafa disciple? As you know, there are many religions in history that did not have missions as part of cultivation, and they seek only Consummation of self: I cultivate well to go to Heaven, or I cultivate well to become a Bodhisattva or an Arhat. The phrase “saving sentient beings” is said easily, but who dares to do it? Just cultivating yourself is already hard enough, let alone leading others to cultivate. If you lead one person to cultivate, this is equal to being responsible to everything of that person, cultivating him well just like you cultivate yourself well. You cannot even cultivate yourself well, and you find cultivation very hard, how can you cultivate him well? Furthermore, in saving sentient beings, you are not just saving one person, but saving many people. How can you be responsible for them? So when some people say, “I save sentient beings,” I really laugh at them from the bottom of my heart. Saving sentient beings—who dares to save sentient beings? Why don’t you give it a try? Let’s not talk about saving sentient beings; just adding a certain portion of his sickness karma to your body will kill you—you will die before having a chance to save him.

Only with all of these can you do this thing: the mighty power of this Fa, Dafa disciples’ bases established historically, and the enormous importance of your responsibility itself. This is not something that can be done by just anyone, nor did it ever exist since the creation of Heaven and Earth. The universe’s Fa is forging Dafa disciples. Which life is worthy of cultivating in the Dafa of the universe? This did not exist in the past. Even Shakyamuni did not cultivate to completion in the Dafa of the universe, right? It is known to all that he completed his cultivation by gaining the righteous Enlightenment of his own Fa that conforms to that level of the universe. Using the Dafa of the universe to save sentient beings directly, have you thought about it, as a being, how should you do it? What is your responsibility? Of course, as Dafa disciples, you have gone through these many years of trials and tribulations. I have been saying that those of you who have come through the “7/20” persecution in 1999 are remarkable, and Gods already cherish you very much. Therefore, as disciples yourselves, you should also cherish yourselves and the paths you have walked on, and discard the dross. That is the path on which you will gain righteous Enlightenment in the future; that is what you will accomplish, your mighty virtue, and it also determines the levels for each of you.

I just said that the Fa-rectification of the cosmos is already in the late stage, near completion, and is making the transition toward the stage in which the Fa rectifies the human world. So in this period, everyone should do better even more so, not letting your past efforts go to waste, not making mistakes again, nor doing things again muddle-headedly led by your own mentality of showing off, being unique, and various kinds of attachments. Just relying on your enthusiasm toward Dafa is not good enough; you must be rational, and consider safety in the evil environment. You must cultivate righteously and walk righteously, only then will it work. With all this that has been changed by the old forces, I am using it to beat them at their own game. But as Dafa disciples, you should walk righteously. As Dafa disciples, you have persisted to this day, Master cherishes you very much, and you must do well. The words I have said in history are all being realized. I did not talk about prophecies, but I did talk about how the whole Fa-rectification in the cosmos is moving toward the end step by step. Behold, all is being realized.

I’ll just say this much. You have come from afar, and some have come from mainland China. You have brought with you some questions you feel you must ask. You can hand them to the conference staff, and I will answer them for you. (Disciples applaud enthusiastically)

(Master changes from standing to sitting, and disciples applaud enthusiastically.)

Disciple: Dafa disciples from all over the world wish Master Happy Birthday!

Master: I won't read [good wishes like this anymore]. (Disciples applaud enthusiastically)

Disciple: In my understanding, we have now reached the end of Fa-rectification, and the Fa is about to rectify the human world. As the Fa-rectification process moves forward, are there changes in the emphasis of our truth clarification? Should we speak to the world’s people more straightforwardly?

Master: No change, you just do it the way you did it in the past. No change at all. If there were any changes, I would have told you on the Minghui website. When you explain the truth, you cannot speak at too high a level if you want to save people; otherwise it will have a negative effect. There have been many lessons in this.

Disciple: The evil’s persecution of Dafa disciples in China and the crime of live organ harvesting have got the attention of more and more ordinary people. Quite a number of students have put a lot of emphasis on exposing live organ harvesting, and they start with the live organ harvesting when they explain the truth. Should we still start with the background in truth clarification, explaining clearly first what Dafa is, and the basic truth, such as the hoax of the self-immolation and the fake story about the 1,400 cases, and then go on depending on how much the listeners can accept them?

Master: Right, I think this way of explaining is very rational. Human beings are just human beings, and you are thinking too highly of them. You feel it’s difficult to save them; that’s because they are too low-level, not because they are too high-level. So to those who are more difficult to talk to, you should speak at a lower level, only then can they accept it. If they truly had wisdom, they would not be that way. Therefore, you should start with the basics, especially in mainland China, and explain how the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made up stories. Debunk these things, and tell them the true situation. Afterward, you can explain how evil the evil CCP’s persecution is, and they will sympathize with you. If you only talk about how the evil Party is persecuting you, they may think you are not good either, as their thinking is misled by the lies. So in truth clarification, you must dispel the lies. Only then will it work.

Disciple: Directed by the evil, the chief executive of Hong Kong sabotages the venue application for Shen Yun, and encourages evil gangs to attack Dafa in the Hong Kong municipal area and at various tourist sites, all in violation of Hong Kong’s laws. Can the local Dafa Association coordinate the students who are able to do so to file lawsuits, so as to create a law-abiding environment?

Master: In the near future, not a single bad person will be able to escape, and someone will punish them. As for Hong Kong’s situation, students and the Dafa Association in Hong Kong should figure out for yourselves the appropriate way to proceed. Master cannot explain it clearly here in a couple of sentences, nor can I tell you how to do things in every aspect, otherwise I would deprive you of your cultivation path. That is because how to do it, and how to do it well, is up to you. If I speak with you about everything, tell you everything, even including how to walk every step, is that you cultivating or me cultivating? Or am I leading you to cultivate? That would not count, isn’t this the principle? Therefore, for some things, it’s still up to you to think through how to do them well. The environment is created by Dafa disciples in the process of truth clarification.

Disciple: I am facing a phenomenon, that is, sometimes anonymous people bring Dafa books to the Fa study site. Some of these books are old editions that have not had the characters corrected, some are new, but most books have dirty pages, or the paper has become very stiff and very old. I don’t know how to handle this.

Master: The persecution is so severe, and people hid the books. They probably did not take good care of them. For people who don’t have Dafa books, they are still very precious. Characters that have not been corrected can be corrected. Books that are dirty are not a problem, and you can still read and use them. If they are really so damaged that they cannot be used, you can burn them. Since you are Dafa disciples, Gods will know what you are doing.

Disciple: Since the new government took office last May in Taiwan, there has been an obvious reduction in the number of tourists from mainland China who come to Taiwan’s tourist sites. Is this a reflection of the cultivation state of Taiwan’s Dafa disciples? Tourists from South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia have obviously increased in Taiwan. Should we target a broader audience in our truth-clarification at Taiwan’s tourist sites?

Master: There’s nothing special about this. Recently, the economy in mainland China is not as good as before, and it’s quite normal that the number of tourists has declined. As for truth clarification, it doesn't matter who it is, you should tell the truth to them all the same, with your focus on tourists from mainland China. In Taiwan, you can clarify the truth to people of other nationalities as well, especially those from countries in South Asia, who are also deeply harmed as a result of the persecution of Falun Gong. You may tell the truth to all of them.

Disciple: Fellow practitioners in Hong Kong said that the practitioners at The Epoch Times all ran out to sell things, and they don’t understand this. Some new practitioners went to study the Fa at the Dafa Association, but they were rejected. The environment of Fa study was not there, so people who have stepped into Dafa don’t understand Dafa.

Master: Is there such a phenomenon in Hong Kong? Anyway, coordinators have the responsibility for the cultivation environment. But as for the person who wrote this note, if you do not know the situation well enough, that is also not good.

Disciple: Disciples from mainland China send their greetings to Master. For over a year now, a large number of kidnappings of Dafa disciples have taken place in many places in our province. My question is, Fa-rectification is approaching the end, yet this kind of interference is taking place today. Is it because there are gaps in the one-body cultivation state, or …

Master: It’s nothing like that. It is just that you have not cultivated well, and they will give you trouble—they will insist on doing this. Using the old forces’ words, mainland China is like the Supreme Daoist’s dan-tempering furnace, and that fire must burn fiercely so as to forge true gold. As I have said, it's not that when a situation is getting better, the evil will also become better. The evil will not become better, and it can only be eliminated. Before it is eliminated, it will act up, especially during its near-death struggle at the end, it will do that. It’s like poison, if you want it not to be poisonous, is that possible? It’s just poison.

Disciple: Media reporting of Shen Yun is still not able to pay attention to details. For example, articles use Mr. and Mrs. to refer to interviewees, or repeatedly mention their titles. This doesn’t align with the conventions of news reporting. I ask respected Master, as the media is still not able to pay meticulous attention to details as Shen Yun does, will this affect the media’s power to save people?

Master: These are minor issues; the media just needs to be more courteous in its reporting, that’s it. Falun Gong students are walking a traditional path in their behavior, so they should do better.

Disciple: A couple, both cultivators, got a divorce because they did not cultivate solidly and look within when encountering issues. But their hearts for cultivating in Dafa have not changed. What consequences does their divorce have on their cultivation? Do they still have the opportunity to cultivate to Consummation?

Master: In principle, during cultivation, whether they cultivate well or not is only an expression of their state in the cultivation process. Divorce itself is a big deal in the eyes of other people, but in essence only cultivation is the top priority for the cultivators. If they can cultivate well, there is no effect, but what form you adopt in cultivation, how you want to cultivate—that is your own business. If you get a divorce because of your attachments and human notions, what you have done is of course not right.

Disciple: Children nowadays are all playing computer games. Are they made by extraterrestrial beings? How should we deal with it?

Master: Yes, electronic games nowadays have all been made by people who are controlled by extraterrestrial beings. Human beings think they made them. I have just said, you do not really know where human thoughts come from, or the origin of your thoughts when you want to make that stuff. How your layers upon layers of thoughts develop, how you have been indoctrinated with external ideas—you do not know this process at all. You only know the things that have manifested on the surface. So for humankind, these things are all harmful, and they are leading human beings to a state that is no longer human.

Why do extraterrestrial beings do this? Because they want to occupy the human body. They have been craving the structure of the human brain. Extraterrestrial beings are lives coming out of the noxious garbage heap at the lowest level of the cosmos. Lives in the cosmos consider them incomparably ugly. Human thinking is extraordinary. Humankind is destroyed once every four to five thousand years. If it were not destroyed, your brain, with the thinking structure like that of Gods, could create anything—a capability much more powerful than that of the extraterrestrial beings. Didn’t I say that the moon was created by human beings in an earlier period? So they want to obtain the human body, and have done these things continually. Of course there are other factors, and I have talked about them when I taught the Fa in the past.

Disciple: Students in the media rarely send forth righteous thoughts. Some students, especially the young ones, rarely study the Fa or do the exercises, and their thinking is very much that of ordinary people. How can this situation change?

Master: I knew about this long ago and have been observing this. Dafa disciples, especially Dafa disciples in mainland China, led their own children to cultivate when they were young. As the children grew up, parents could not discipline them. They were won over by the things in ordinary human society. They would graduate from school, they learned something, and then they went out to society, and some came abroad. Some also joined the media at The Epoch Times or New Tang Dynasty. For a long time, they have not studied the Fa, and they carry thoughts and behavior influenced by Party culture. For people outside of China, your behavior is simply very obnoxious, yet you are not aware of it. What I am saying is that you are not aware of these things. You have come to a new environment, and should change your thinking and behavior. You are all Dafa disciples—how can you not study the Fa? If you don’t study the Fa, are you still Dafa disciples?

Disciple: Many sentient beings have not been saved, and Master once spoke about utilizing the old forces’ arrangements. Is it possible for today’s Dafa disciples to continue to stay here and fulfill their missions during the period when the Fa rectifies the human world?

Master: Master cannot talk about things of the future, as whatever I say will cause you to have attachments. Those of you who have not cultivated well have only one option: Cultivate well. There’s no other way. You say, “I’ll do it leisurely and there is still time. I'll enjoy life first and cultivate in the future.” Gods can see whatever thought you may have.

Disciple: Because of different opinions, some fellow practitioners have developed significant disagreements over a long period of time, and their misunderstanding has deepened. When one tries to cooperate with the other, one becomes the target of discrimination and venting.

Master: Both parties have issues and both harbor strong attachments. When Dafa disciples join together, their power is truly tremendous. In sending forth righteous thoughts, if you all can focus your thoughts, the power that comes out will be really strong, extraordinary! Rotten demons just want to interfere with you and influence you. They have your human notions acting up so you are resentful and see others as eyesores. They reinforce your human notions so much that your righteous thoughts cannot come out at all!

In the early years, when the persecution of Falun Gong started, you needed to do many things to resist the persecution. In meetings, people got together to argue back and forth, severely affecting the things that you were to do. I just treated it as a process whereby you tempered yourselves, and cultivated yourselves, and that you would do better in the future. But some people have not changed their thinking and have all along been utilized by the evil demons this way, meddling with Dafa disciples. You are all fellow practitioners—are you enemies? Your common goal is to save the people in the world, so you should be the closest and should help one another. Who do you see as eyesores? Their images on the surface, and their behavior, are only manifested at this human place. Don't you all have the origin of Gods? Would their divine sides be this way? You should look at things from the standpoint of cultivation.

Disciple: The fairy tales and ancient songs passed down among minority peoples in Southwest China have much content related to the universe, life, water, etc., and on their traditional clothing there are a large number of ancient symbols such as Srivatsa and Taiji. I wish to ask if China’s minority peoples’ cultures are also part of Chinese traditional culture? Are their ancient cultures significant for human culture in the future?

Master: It's a stretch to speak of their significance for the culture of the future. I can tell you why there are so many minority peoples in Southwest China, and furthermore, they seem to be separated from the last five thousand years of Chinese culture. In fact, these peoples are human races left from the periods before the five-thousand-year civilization. Once while I was driving to Yunnan, those Gods along the way told me these minority peoples are all living fossils, very ancient.

Disciple: A while ago in Beijing, disagreements among practitioners emerged in the large Dafa group. What is the purest and most righteous thing we can do that is also the best for the one-body? Has jealousy been affecting our one-body cooperation for a long time?

Master: You should make sure this jealousy is removed. This mentality is really dangerous, as it can make you slack off in all aspects of your cultivation, destroying you. You cannot have jealousy.

Disciple: Signing petitions is more and more widely used for people in mainland China. How should we consider its relationship to saving people directly through the three withdrawals? What aspects should we be careful about?

Master: I recall someone asking me how many withdrawals would be needed before the evil party falls. I just put out five fingers, without telling him how many. (All disciples laugh) But anyway, this withdrawal from the Party is a process of saving people, because these people have all been kidnapped by the evil CCP. They all got imprinted by the demonic red dragon, and all swore before the bloody flag to devote their lives to it. How can you save them if you do not have them withdraw? As that evil CCP has become a demon for Fa-rectification, shouldn’t it be eliminated? Isn’t it now in the very process of being eliminated? Of course, if it were eliminated all at once, what would happen to those Dafa disciples who have not cultivated well? So in the process of eliminating the demon, we have to consider those who have not cultivated well and allow them to continue to cultivate, and have the part of the demon not fully eliminated still have an effect. You have to consider this issue rationally. In fact, I have explained clearly many things in the past.

Disciple: Why is it up to Dafa disciples in the United States, via the White House online petition, to help stop organ harvesting from live Dafa disciples? Television has reported it, and newspapers have written about it. I heard if the signatures do not reach a hundred thousand, it will have a negative effect. I personally feel that Dafa disciples are one body, and should cooperate with one another when doing things. Those Dafa disciples who have heard about this news should cooperate in their individual names.

Master: I'm afraid it's not so. I have not mentioned this figure. As for this issue of live organ harvesting, it happens widely in many hospitals in China, and that was the order given directly by the evil. But there is no way for us to have specific data now. If you do not have a way to collect many pieces of evidence, you will not be convincing. You say there are this many, [others would ask,] “Show me your medical records.” Zhang or Li, what profession, when were his organs harvested, when did he start cultivating—can you provide such information? In Western society it's important to have hard evidence, and have people see your evidence. Without evidence, you are just making things up—they will think it is your imagination, not credible; they will even think you are exaggerating and lying. This is the concept, so you cannot use your emotions to replace reality.

I have been saying all along that live organ harvesting is a very serious matter, and it exists widely in China. Dafa disciples have been severely persecuted, and this evil is unprecedented in history. But when you do not have that many actual cases, do not mention figures. I have emphasized repeatedly that you should not mention figures, but some people are just not listening. You just tell people this issue exists and it is really evil and widespread, and people will understand. You can bring up those examples that you know, and people will understand how severe this evil persecution is. The figure you mention is probably smaller than the actual number, yet you feel it is very large. Still, you cannot produce factual evidence, so this whole thing becomes unbelievable to others.

Disciple: Dafa disciples cannot be involved in pyramid schemes, but for some products, it’s hard to tell if they are sold through pyramid schemes. A particular product is being marketed on WeChat …

Master: Let me put it this way: This society today is just very complicated, and Dafa disciples are walking a really righteous path. You can use a cultivator’s standard to judge whether it is legitimate business or not, and if there is deceptive behavior involved. I think if you really use a Dafa disciple’s standard to judge it, you will know. Some people know it, but they pretend they do not. They are covering things up in order to make money. Actually, these issues are all very clear, right? Just take a look and you will know whether there are deceptive elements in it.

Disciple: My fiancé and I moved to Morocco because of work, and there are only the two of us Dafa disciples locally. How can we clarify the truth in this country?

Master: Clarifying the truth and introducing Dafa is what every Dafa disciple is obligated to do. As for how to do it, you can only do it based on the local situation that you know, and you need to put it into practice yourself.

Let me put it this way, on some specific matters, you shouldn’t ask me. If I answered you, I would have dismantled the path you should walk in your cultivation. Whether I know it or not, if I spell out that matter, it will be realized. But it would not be your doing, it would be my doing. Why would I do it? I came here to save you, to have you walk that path, why do you ask me to walk it? (All disciples laugh)

Disciple: I am a Dafa disciple in Changchun. After eighteen years of trials and tribulations, I have joy as well as regrets. No matter how long it takes from now on, we will still shoulder the responsibility of Dafa disciples, and stride forward diligently, walking the last portion of our path well and righteously. Master, please set your mind at rest.

Master: I trust you, I know. (All disciples applaud enthusiastically) Dafa disciples in Master’s hometown have been persecuted the most severely, yet they have also done the best. (All disciples applaud enthusiastically)

Disciple: Ten thousand Dafa disciples came to New York to attend the Fa conference, take part in activities, and save people. But it’s been raining. Is this the result of the old force’s troublemaking, or gaps of Dafa disciples?

Master: (Master laughs) If it is to rain, let it rain. (All disciples laugh) Nothing is coincidental, though, and there are factors from two angles. It is here either to test you or to help you. There are two angles in any case, so think about it. There are no accidents. (All disciples applaud)

Disciple: The communist evil specter tries to control Western society. How should we deal with this?

Master: Actually it has been in control for a long time. I just said negative elements have already occupied the world. (Master laughs) You cannot understand this so profoundly. Human beings see different manifestations on the surface, and those are only mutual conflicts created by different human thinking and social forms. The negative elements are all brought by the red demon. I’ll talk about it in the future, as it involves things of the future on the surface regarding human beings when the Fa rectifies the human world.

Disciple: Some colleagues around me have been deeply affected by atheism, and for them, withdrawing from the Party is unnecessary, besides it is a bit risky and may bring trouble. People’s morality nowadays remains at the level of caring only for themselves. They have sympathy toward Dafa, however, and do not do things to persecute Dafa. If their atheist thinking is not eliminated, these people cannot be persuaded to quit the Party. I ask esteemed Master how to treat people in this state of mind?

Master: Actually that is not the case, whether or not they believe in Gods has nothing to do with their quitting the Party. It’s not that if they believe in Gods they will quit the Party. We talk about having people in the world recognize clearly the evil Party’s wickedness, especially the evil CCP’s history. It started with the establishment of the Paris Commune, when a gang of hoodlums smashed the buildings throughout Paris that were as beautiful as those in the world of Gods, making chaos in society. It was despicable from the start, and after seizing power, the CCP has been killing people, continually killing people. Just check into the evil CCP’s history, you will find a history of murder. Tell people these things. Tell them what the CCP has done, especially in China, what it has done to the Chinese people. Ask them, “Do you still want to be involved in it?” If you speak from this perspective, they will understand. As for whether or not they believe in Gods, that is in fact not the biggest obstacle. If they can read the Dafa books, their atheism will naturally be eliminated.

Disciple: Master’s new scripture “Re-creation” mentioned “Returning to tradition, that is the path that leads to heaven.”

Master: Right. As you know, the culture of all of humankind is arranged by Gods, and this path is closely connected to Gods. To return to heaven, how would you get there if you do not take this path? Driven by a modern mentality, people look strange with such hairstyles, big hoop earrings, and nose rings; and they do drugs—is it possible for you to get to where Gods are? You all know that is impossible. Therefore, only this traditional path is closest to Gods, since that path is arranged by Gods.

Disciple: What is the relationship between reviving Chinese tradition and assisting Master in Fa-rectification?

Master: I have just said, reviving tradition is not something Dafa disciples do at this time. That is what Shen Yun Performing Arts is doing, since Shen Yun itself engages in the arts. Shen Yun uses traditional arts. As Dafa disciples, you should just do the three things well.

Disciple: How does one find truth in China’s five thousand years of history? How does one discern between what the old forces have changed and what was truly left for human beings?

Master: This is not something you need to be concerned about. The five thousand years of Chinese culture was all created by Gods, and it was destroyed only after the appearance of the evil CCP.

Disciple: To reinstall their computers, fellow practitioners in mainland China need to delete the original files. Among the original files there are Master’s Fa lectures. Some fellow practitioners say it’s disrespectful to delete the files, just like tearing apart the books.

Master: I don’t think you can understand it this way. It’s ok to delete them, no problem, because the essence cannot be deleted on the computer. It’s the same with the computer itself, since once something is stored on it, it can never be deleted. Its terminal over there is controlled by extraterrestrial beings, and it all ends up there.

Disciple: Influenced by the web and cellphones, people in modern times have lost the traditional lifestyle they once had. Online media attracts viewers by using all kinds of methods, so they can increase network traffic and earn more online income. This is adding fuel to the fire.

Master: I don’t think you should understand it this way. Society nowadays is already in this state. Since society is this way, you cannot even survive or understand society’s situations if you do not do the same. What can be done then? You have to use it, you have no choice. At the same time, however, you can use it to clarify the truth and save people, and use it to establish a good company that saves people using the internet. I have said this all along that aren’t the web portions of The Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty web companies? They are. What role do they play? They clarify the truth and save people. So things that Dafa disciples work on should all be based on a righteous purpose.

Disciple: People in charge of The Epoch Times claim to help the newspaper, but what they say, do, and think are not consistent. They are in fact obsessed with running their own business, using Dafa’s resources. We do not want to see Dafa projects suffering losses.

Master: On the whole The Epoch Times is developing in a healthy way, though there are human things that do not belong to cultivators. I know that in cultivation, human notions cannot be avoided. I knew it and saw it a long time ago. If you really know the situation, you can talk with the Dafa Association. But if you follow hearsay or draw conclusions based on what you hear without evidence, that would not do either. If you have something on your mind that you cannot let go of, do not ask Master to speak on your behalf, as you have to take responsibility yourself. If, however, they indeed have major problems, Gods will take care of it even if I don’t. In fact, I gave them a free hand, since I know they are all cultivators and Gods are taking care of them.

Disciple: Some practitioners in England do not listen to the Dafa Association or coordinators. They said they follow the Fa as their teacher, and they have been spreading rumors.

Master: OK, the Dafa Association is, indeed, leading everyone to cultivate and study the Fa. It is not responsible for your cultivation, but only provides an overall coordination for group activities in truth clarification and saving sentient beings. If you are completely at odds with the Dafa Association, then you really have a problem. I think the situation in England will improve, since I met up with them, (All disciples applaud) and explained some principles as well. Don’t hold on to old opinions to look at things. I am looking forward to hearing good news from England. (All disciples applaud enthusiastically)

Disciple: After watching Shen Yun, some Chinese around me did not understand and support Dafa. I respectfully ask Master, is it the case that people may not be saved even after watching Shen Yun? Recently the evil seems to have suddenly become raving mad, and many newspapers openly attack Dafa. Even on social media, including Facebook and WeChat, there lurk some unsafe elements. Is it because the evil has reached the stage of its last struggle?

Master: It’s not that serious. In fact, the evil has not loosened its grip in all this time, it’s just that you sometimes are too optimistic, feeling as if the evil has changed. I have been saying that evil will not change. It will not change. Of course, it will arrest more people when it needs to, and sometimes it will arrest fewer. Do not think that it has changed based on whether it is arresting more or fewer people. The evil itself cannot change, yet what you are saving are people. As long as people are still being used by the evil and have not been saved, they will do these things. Of course, seen from the overall situation, an increasingly larger amount of evil has been eliminated, and bad things have become fewer and fewer. This is for sure. The general situation and the general environment are changing, and this is for sure.

Disciple: Recently I have a lot of thought karma. When I read Dafa books, I feel as if I were reading from behind a divider, and all the words are not entering into my mind. A fellow practitioner also experienced a similar phenomenon, saying the interference seems even stronger than the main consciousness, and sending forth righteous thoughts is not generating as much power as before.

Master: Everyone’s cultivation state is different. As for Dafa cultivation, I have already explained to you its form. Since you are cultivating in this complex environment, ensuring your success in cultivation is not a simple matter. As you all know, if you are not careful, the portion that’s already cultivated may drop back down again at any time. To ensure that you can succeed in cultivation, once a portion of you has completed cultivation, that part will be separated from you immediately without a moment’s delay. When more is completed, more is separated. So goes this process. The part of you that has completed cultivation becomes larger and larger, but this side of you that’s not cultivated well will always be unaware, and in cultivation you will always be in this state. But there is a subtle change. What change? For a period of time, the period during which a portion of you is about to complete its cultivation, your power is very strong, and you feel very powerful when you send forth righteous thoughts. Once this part is completely cultivated and separated from you, you suddenly feel weak, as if starting to cultivate anew. That is, you have to continue to cultivate, but you will have these subtle changes. This goes on from beginning to end; it’s not something that started just now.

Disciple: Many fellow practitioners around me have their hands fall limp [from the upright position when sending forth righteous thoughts] without knowing it. Some fellow practitioners, one after the other, have sickness karma.

Master: In cultivation, there is a saying, “Cultivate as you did in the beginning, and you are sure to succeed.” Isn’t that right? (All disciples applaud enthusiastically) How did you feel when you first obtained the Fa and began cultivating? When you learned what the Fa is, wow, you simply felt so excited that you couldn’t contain yourself, and you steeled yourself to cultivate well! If you could maintain all along the heart you had in the beginning through to the end of your cultivation, even Heaven and Earth would not allow you to fail. (Master laughs) (All disciples applaud).

However, you are certainly cultivating among ordinary people, so you’ll encounter all kinds of things, all kinds of work keeping you busy, all kinds of interference with you, including those complex factors in society, as well as pressure from the persecution itself. It’s really very hard for you to maintain, from the beginning to the end, a heart of great diligence and determination. So I have also said that it’s easy for you to make mistakes in cultivation, since you can make mistakes before your attachments are removed. But as long as you have a clear understanding, and continue to cultivate with your full effort, you are in a normal state of cultivation. That’s it. It cannot be said with certainty that you cannot cultivate if you make mistakes, or you are not a cultivator if you did this thing wrong. That’s not how we look at things, as it is only a reflection of the cultivation process. Just like a student who is studying, you score one hundred this time, but next time you fail to pass. Are you no longer a student? You are still a student, and you should continue to study well. Therefore, if you can maintain strong righteous thoughts from the beginning to the end in your cultivation, even I would show you respect when I see you. (All disciples applaud)

Disciple: Words become fewer as one reaches higher levels, but disciples whose cultivation involves coordinating things often need to speak in order to encourage sharing. I ask respected Master how to handle this?

Master: Everyone’s cultivation state is different. Sure, as you continue to cultivate, you will find your state changing, and this is normal. It does not matter, if your words are few, just use them where you should speak. (Master laughs) It does not affect [what you do].

Disciple: Gods can see clearly Dafa disciples’ every thought and idea. In the last few years, however, my thoughts often enter into the fields of fellow practitioners or ordinary people. I am confused, and ask Master to please tell me how to deal with it.

Master: Not just cultivators, but most people in the world today have come from the heavens to obtain the Fa. But some have been deeply buried by their postnatal notions, and some are buried not so deep if their notions are few. I am just using this as a metaphor. For those who are buried not so deep, some of their abilities will show. Among ordinary people, why do some have abilities? Why do they have supernormal abilities without cultivating? People nowadays, unlike people of the past, mostly have their origins as Gods, so they all have abilities. It’s just that their abilities are covered up or locked up more or less securely. Those abilities not locked up very securely will manifest. You said you can sense other people’s thoughts and enter into other people’s thinking, and know what others are thinking. Do your best to treat these things as normal, and not let them affect your cultivation. That’s all. Do not see them as burdens or bad things. In general, as cultivators, in the cultivation community, once people developed some supernormal abilities, in the past they would be delighted, and they would all treat it as the elevation of levels. It was like this in the past. You can also treat it this way.

Disciple: You’ve instructed our media to operate like a company in ordinary society, and learn from Shen Yun. But coordinators said we have to use the fewest resources in operation. Sure, we should value resources, but if we cannot build a positive business model and cannot find talented students, we cannot operate well.

Master: Yes. Speaking of Shen Yun, I’ll put it this way. I have created an all-new operational model. This performing arts company has adopted a different form from that of ordinary performing arts groups, in that it operates in a positive cycle, and is able to withstand the impact of any economic conditions so as to preserve itself. Many performing arts companies nowadays will collapse when the economy is poor, because they do not have a normal, positive operation. They rely on begging, which does not sound good. Let’s say they rely on charity, or donated funds. Using the performances themselves and using their own talents to make money has become unimportant. So they are not following a positive cycle. Without a positive operation, they of course will collapse. Gods are in charge of human society, and Gods would not let them exist for long. That’s the situation, and that’s the way I look at it. So some people, upon joining our company, are not used to it, since we are very different from ordinary companies. That’s right, this is an all-new model, and I am doing it to show ordinary people. Now, many performing arts companies in society are studying how Shen Yun is operating, and studying how to keep a foothold.

But as a media, it is all right for you to walk your own path. Shen Yun has set a good example, and it is all right for you to learn from Shen Yun. I’ve spoken to coordinators at the media about how to do personnel training and how to operate effectively.

Disciple: Some fellow practitioners help select names for sentient beings who have quit the Party, but the names are not registered in time at the three-withdrawals page on the Epoch Times website. Over a year’s time, several thousand names have been accumulated.

Master: Let me tell everyone, you cannot neglect this issue of quitting the Party. This is very critical! It relates to the saving of sentient beings, and relates to the saving of countless lives behind those sentient beings. You have to treat this matter with all seriousness. Plus, Gods are also looking at the number of people who’ve quit the Party, so do not take it lightly.

Disciple: … and they also don’t remember the dates they quit. For these declarations that are not published, are they considered having quit the Party and been saved?

Master: They are counted by Gods, but you have not done well yourselves. That is about whether you are walking your path well, so you must treat this matter seriously.

Disciple: Some disciples in a South American city hosted the Shen Yun show, and have achieved good results. There is too much to do, however, and we cannot handle it all. Can we invite ordinary society’s companies to undertake some of the work on promotion, ticket sales, post-sales service, and logistics, with disciples leading the work?

Master: You cannot invite ordinary society’s companies; you must not do so. This is not to say we have any secrets, but because this is a special period after all under the CCP’s persecution, these companies could be easily bought with money, or affected by human emotion, and they cannot see clearly the evil’s fabrications. We have had this experience many times. Once they are involved in the projects of Dafa disciples, the evil will make trouble immediately, so this does not work. There’re so many lessons like this, so you must pay attention to these things.

Disciple: I am a software engineer. I would like to spend some time learning some technologies in computer artificial intelligence. But I have a lot of doubts in my mind. Could Master please tell us what is the normal relationship between man and computer?

Master: Society has developed to this stage, and it seems that computer companies all want to get hold of everyone’s personal information. Everyone is operating online, and everyone is doing it. I, too, would like Dafa disciples to have this capability, and establish the sort of computer companies that won’t corrupt human morality. Then of course, if you want to understand it, you need to master it. That is to say, society today has come to this state. In principle, as Dafa disciples, you should treat yourselves as cultivators no matter what you do. Do what you should do, then it won’t be a problem.

Disciple: Quality films and television programs can have an effect in clarifying the truth, eliminating evil, and purifying people’s hearts. In recent years, people are becoming more and more demanding about the quality of films and television programs. Yet the truth-clarification films made by some fellow practitioners use very low-quality techniques, and this has caused ordinary people to make fun of them and give negative feedback. They have even had a negative impact on the image of Dafa. What’s more, producing such works eats up a lot of Dafa disciples’ resources.

Master: Indeed, for programs of extremely poor quality, let’s be sure we don’t air them on TV. If you show them in other settings, then so be it. But things that are aired on TV must meet the quality requirements.

Disciple: Could we publish Zhuan Falun with both Zhuyin and Pinyin? This would be very helpful to fellow practitioners overseas who are learning Chinese.

Master: Rules were all laid out for these things in the past. Be it Zhuyin or Pinyin, I am not against them. You can ask the Dafa Association about these things.

Disciple: Since fellow practitioners who are involved in online technology need to collect data, they must view a great amount of ordinary people’s information. Would this increase their karma and contaminate them?

Master: No. And why not? Because your job is to save people. Gods are looking after you and helping you, so it won’t be a problem. As for other cultivators, however, if you view ordinary people’s things, and if you view them a lot, that will not do. But for those who work for the media or specialize in such things, it is not a problem.

Disciple: A coordinator in our region insists on speaking about almost nothing else but the organ harvesting from live Dafa disciples, and almost never mentions how wonderful Dafa is. Furthermore, this person insists that as long as ordinary people sign the anti-persecution petition, it proves that they are saved. From what I know, even if people sign the petition, it still does not mean they learned about the truth. In addition, there is a saying circulating internally among Falun Gong students in Europe, that the truth of Falun Gong is about the truth of live Falun Gong practitioners’ organs being harvested.

Master: Is there such a thing going on? The attachment of fear made someone unable to validate the Fa in a dignified manner, and that’s what led to such foolish behavior. Deviant understandings are often caused by the attachment of fear.

Disciple: Master has arranged for different sentient beings to watch Shen Yun every year, and the seats in theaters have already been arranged. Isn’t it inappropriate for us to intentionally promote the Shen Yun tickets to past patrons who have already seen the show and been saved?

Master: More than eighty percent of the audience members who see the performances of Shen Yun Performing Arts are new ones. No matter what you do, new audience members make up the majority. However, roughly from ten percent to twenty percent—and in some regions, twenty percent—of the audience members are returning ones. Under normal circumstances, you’d have him watching the show this year, and her watching the show next year, because we continue to save people. So why is it that we have returning audience members? The old forces felt that only this way is normal. If the entire audience were new, wouldn’t that be too unusual? So there have to be some returning audience members. If the returning audience members come every year and benefit every year, would their levels be pushed higher and higher? That is not so. When it was determined who would become the returning audience members, only a small amount of their bad things would be eliminated each time they saw the show. (Applause)

Disciple: In our region, an individual with demonic interference in his own mind claims that he can eliminate students’ karma. Many students go to his place to study the Fa, saying that he has a good field. This person also makes Dafa books on the side, and the price is higher than the cost of normal production. He asked students to hand over old Dafa books and Master’s photographs for him to destroy privately, saying that those are laws of the old cosmos, and that students should purchase the laws of the new cosmos from him. Many students are following him. I have tried to submit articles to Minghui many times in order to warn local practitioners. But my articles have never been published, and I don’t know why. I would like to ask if students can buy Dafa books made by this kind of individual?

Master: When cultivating, you just face such a complicated crowd. There are people from all kinds of levels and realms, with all kinds of thoughts and behavior. This is why saving people is so hard. Whenever such an abnormal phenomenon emerges among Dafa disciples, it is always because there are practitioners in that region who have attachments in that particular vein. If no one in that region has these attachments, then that phenomenon would not have occurred. So, if you look back over the years and try to recall, there were all kinds of abnormal phenomena occurring all over mainland China. What was the purpose of such things? They were meant to expose your human notions and attachments that you had not removed in your cultivation. They were meant to trick you, trip you up, make you lose money, and make you fall so hard that your head would be bruised and bleeding—and finally you’d get it. The purpose was to get rid of that attachment of yours, and it occurred for just such a purpose. So, I think the problem still lies in the cultivation of students in that region, causing you to be interfered with by the old forces. At least you have been giving an audience to these crooked ghosts who are undermining the Fa.

Disciple: The nearer we get to the end, the more diligent we should be. However, some students are still experiencing serious interferences themselves, and are going through sickness karma of various degrees, affecting them in doing the three things. How should we help such practitioners?

Master: Indeed. From beginning to end, the old forces would never allow a peaceful cultivation environment for Dafa disciples. When they see that Dafa disciples in these regions harbor some kind of attachment, they would stir something up and show it to everyone. This is to have you cultivate, so look at yourself and see what thoughts crop up in you. Are you thinking righteous thoughts, or thinking with human attachments? This is the way they’ve done it all along. Some students have hung on to their attachments for a long time without being aware of them. Maybe such practitioners have been so busy with clarifying the truth and doing Dafa-related things that they have not even put in the heart to think about themselves. They have not carefully examined themselves. When such problems become serious and the old forces can no longer let you get away with them, the problems will then manifest. So, you must be very cautious about these things. No matter how raving mad the evil is, it would not dare touch you as long as you don’t have any shortcomings.

Disciple: In the print version of Zhuan Falun, there is a paragraph of Fa in the postscript, “On the surface, Zhuan Falun is not elegant in terms of language. It might even not comply with modern grammar ....” Some students think that this is not part of the content of Zhuan Falun, and therefore, it should not be read during group Fa study. Other students believe that this is Fa, and that it is in the Dafa book, so it should be read.

Master: You don’t have to read that paragraph when you read in a group. That paragraph was written by me, but you don’t have to read it. You don’t have to read it during Fa study. I am saying it here, so it is not a problem. (Applause)

Disciple: Following Master to descend to the world and be a king for one thousand years—what does this mean?

Master: That one thousand years have already passed. You were a king in history, yet you do not know it. Some people were always kings through history, and kings again after they reincarnated. Dafa disciples, let me tell you, for those of you sitting here, in the past, ten thousand kingdoms once existed in the world. Using a saying of the Chinese: The world that is long divided will unify, and after it is long unified it will divide. That is to say, they will unify into big kingdoms, and after a period of time, they will again divide into smaller kingdoms. At one point, as many as ten thousand kingdoms existed. Anyway, there were just so many kings, one round of kings after another. But all the kings were Dafa disciples, that is for sure. (Applause)

Disciple: How should young Dafa disciples strike a balance between Dafa-related work and relationships with their families and parents? There is a lot of interference and pressure coming from notions related to society and family. If young disciples choose not to pursue an ordinary people’s path of getting an academic degree and then a job, their parents would not agree with it.

Master: When you cultivate in the ordinary human society, you do not do anything extreme and can easily handle relationships well with ordinary people concerning society’s forms. If you want to pursue an academic degree, then go ahead and do it. All forms of life in ordinary human society are your cultivation environments. That is how wide the gates are open. The different forms of life in society are settings for your cultivation. After all, this Fa is immense! You might think, but isn’t that too big? No. The cosmos is even bigger than that. Humanity as a whole is not very big. There are so many Dafa disciples who were all once kings in heavens and have come to this place to cultivate—this place, honestly, is too small.

Disciple: Nowadays, Dafa disciples in China are saving many people by sending recorded messages using their cellphones. But some fellow practitioners rely on their phones and do not dare to clarify the truth with people face to face. Some do not listen carefully to the recordings of the voice messages. Some dial the same number repeatedly, upsetting the recipient. The old forces have taken advantage of this, and we have seen a shortage of phone cards, and their prices are going up. And some fellow practitioners cannot use their cellphones due to the shortage of phone cards. This is a waste of resources.

Master: In clarifying the truth, you are saving people no matter what method you use. But you should not rely solely on any one method. Or if it is indeed the case that you don’t dare clarify the truth face to face, that is an attachment of fear, so these problems have manifested. What is to be done? I think you don’t need Master to say much. As soon as I read this question, you knew what to do. Try to do better.

Disciple: Shen Yun promotion targets mainstream society. People belonging to this group are generally more accomplished in culture and the arts, and they are the main force behind traditions and in steering society toward upright ways and customs. (Master: That’s correct.) But this year, a lot of the practices employed in promoting Shen Yun in different regions differ markedly from the mentality of mainstream society. We have already received some negative feedback from people in the West. Students in some regions made changes to the design and text of Shen Yun promotional materials based on their own understanding and taste, hurting Shen Yun’s image as a high-end brand. Some texts were full of English errors and Chinglish phrases. Some people, to increase sales, offered ever-greater preferred pricing, or even gave discounts in disguise. Some people, when they gave out materials, were aggressive in manner and didn’t consider the locations they chose, even going to dirty, messy, and rundown places. These practices made some Westerners think that Shen Yun is from mainland China or Chinatown. Those students who made changes to Shen Yun materials even reminded others to keep it a secret from the Shen Yun Office. Should we put in place uniform control over design quality and proper approaches for promotion?

Master: Who’s in charge at the Shen Yun Office? It represents Shen Yun. At the Shen Yun presenters’ meeting, I said already that casually changing Shen Yun materials is not allowed. Let me tell everyone, it is I who choose the image used for the material and the billboard. And it is Shen Yun designers, designers at the Shen Yun Office, that design them. Once they have the design, I look at what they have done, and if I don’t agree with it, they’ll make changes. When the designs are finalized, they will then be released. If you were to make changes to Shen Yun’s things, that would be a violation of the law in ordinary human society. At least, as cultivators, you cannot casually make changes to things Master has decided on, right? (Applause) Furthermore, the ads were designed using traditional concepts. Both the colors and the image composition were based on traditions—something today’s people are unable to do. The things you made, however, have neither artistic value nor understanding of the traditional arts and colors. A lot of them seemed rather tasteless to me, and hence they are damaging Shen Yun’s reputation. And even the English used in there is Chinese-style English that people won’t understand, and there are often errors in the words used. And in some cases, the text is even bigger than the words “Shen Yun.” In any case, they look rather odd. Furthermore, you don’t know anything about advertising, yet you are doing it the way you think it should be done. That won’t work. I’ve already talked about this matter. At the meeting with the Shen Yun presenters yesterday, I specifically talked about this problem. Pay attention to this.

The other thing is, Master made this show to target mainstream society. Yet what you have been doing is always at odds with what Master is doing. Master wants to head east, yet you always head west. For example, I want Shen Yun to start with mainstream society, establishing itself first in upper-class society. We want to open a door there for saving people, only then could we have an impact on the entire society. You always fail to follow Master’s thoughts in what you do. Instead, you have been doing it the way you think it should be done. Wherever I go, I’d take a look around high-end neighborhoods, and oftentimes I wouldn’t see any Shen Yun advertisements there. But when I go to the Chinatown, it’s plastered with Shen Yun posters everywhere. Some of the ads targeted communities with very low living standards. This is money spent in vain and thrown away for nothing.

Thinking back, Shen Yun performed for quite a few years at Radio City. Sometimes, Shen Yun performed for as long as half a month nonstop there, with nearly six thousand audience members at every show. But the tickets we sold cost $5, $10, or $15. The highest ticket price was $25. For several years, Shen Yun did not even make an impact in New York City. When some of those audience members saw something exciting during the show, they whistled and whooped. And when the show ended, they had a good laugh and that was it. Some people even asked, how come there is no lion dance at this Chinese show? That’s where they stood in their level of artistic appreciation. The performance served no purpose whatsoever. Therefore, we must establish ourselves in mainstream society. Since what you have been doing always fails to keep pace with what Master wants to do, of course you do poorly in ticket sales.

The same goes for media reporters when you do interviews. This is something I’ve said many times. I am targeting mainstream society, so you should interview people who belong to mainstream society. But the people that appear in interviews on your television programs are not from mainstream society, rather they are from the lower levels of society. They are not compatible with what we are doing. I am not discriminating against anyone here. I want to open the gates of saving people by targeting mainstream society—I want to save all people! Only when the gates of mainstream society are open can we have an impact on all of society. I said just now that when we were at Radio City, we sold tickets at $5 each. For several years, we performed at that theater with a capacity of six thousand people. Sometimes we performed nonstop for half a month. But it didn’t have much effect. We couldn’t even make a splash in New York City. Yet as soon as we changed the venue to Lincoln Center, ticket prices went up, but more people started coming. It took only two shows for us to make an impact in all of New York City. People on buses and the subway were all talking about Shen Yun. The situation changed immediately.

Disciple: Is it appropriate to organize Dafa students from mainland China to either travel abroad or go to Taiwan to watch Shen Yun or attend Fa conferences? Would it interfere with the paths of cultivation Master has arranged for them during this period? Beijing Dafa disciples would like to send their greetings to Master!

Master: I have heard that there are some people who just won’t be dissuaded from doing this. They lead students in doing this and that out in the open, with utter disregard for safety. When students outside China hear about it, they think such people must be spies working for the CCP and that they have been purposely exposing students’ identities to society. Of course, there are others who have been organizing students to attend Fa conferences, wanting to get inside. There are people like that. Although I don’t necessarily view it this way, students abroad do, because this is a special period. You care so little for safety. Is it because you have deviated in your understanding of the Fa in your cultivation? Is it because you are driven by some kind of attachment to show off and so disregard the safety of students? Students abroad think people like this have a deviant understanding of the Fa. I think that’s not the case, is it?

Disciple: More than ten thousand Dafa disciples from fifty-eight countries and regions extend greetings to our great Master, and extend gratitude to Master for saving us with compassion! Heshi. (Disciples applaud enthusiastically)

Master: I think I will stop here with the questions. I won’t take up too much of your time. Because a Fa Conference is where you’ll share and discuss your views with one another, it helps you improve. And since everyone also wants to see Master, I felt I should still come here, and answer some of your questions while I am here. But I can’t say too much. If I were to tell you things clear as day and too thoroughly and too specifically, the old forces wouldn’t allow it. I do not want to make your paths of cultivation even more difficult. After all, the persecution is severe, so the more clearly I tell things to you, the more difficult your cultivation will become. I cannot walk your paths for you. You must walk your paths yourselves. Dafa disciples who have come through “7/20” in 1999, you must cherish yourselves. You are truly remarkable. Even Gods are cherishing you. I hope that you will do a good job on the road ahead. Especially for those who haven’t been able to do well, you must be extra careful, and cherish the time you still have. Thank you, everyone! (Disciples applaud enthusiastically)

(Translation by Team Blue, subject to further improvement. Date of this version: June 3, 2017.)